Hi guys! What is goin' on people? Hope you're grabbing life by its horns, and livin' it up! I know where my "livin' it up" happens—in the kitchen, and with my wife and my kiddo. I love all three of those and in no particular order, they give me full throttle satisfaction in life. Coming back home to a running, smiling, curly-haired, 3 year old monkey who's yelling out "daddy! daddy!" and hugs you is awesome! C'mon, it doesn't get better than that. Love it!

And then when he's off to bed, it's time for us adults (at least my wife thinks she's definitely an adult) to eat, and the hunt and gathering for food begins. We scour the refrigerator for some dinner potential and usually end up making something good. We stock up pretty well given that we don't eat out during the week! So, there's always something to be found!

And if this sounds like not your story, let me help you out my brothas and sistas! I've got this easy peasy baked Eggplant dinner that is seasoned with warming and smokey spices and dressed with a refreshing home-made Yogurt Mint Chutney. It's meaty. It's bold. It's satisfying. It's healthy!

I think in general, we don't appreciate Eggplant as much, and that's a shame since it's a bold robust vegetable that offers a meaty bite and can soak up flavors really well, from the simple seasonings to the bold ones, it acts as a great sponge!

And this recipe gets the spice rub and goes into the oven in no time! And soon dinner worries are a thing of the past!

Want to get cooking? Let's do it!

Crisp Spiced Eggplant with Mint Chuntey

Serves 2 for 2 meals (think office Lunch!) or 4 for one meal

Ingredients

1 Large Eggplant (approx. 1 lb.)

4 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tbsp Corriander powder

1 tbsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Dry Mango powder (Amchoor)

1 tbsp Salt

Ingredients for Mint Yogurt Chutney

1/2 bunch fresh Cilantro

1/2 bunch fresh Mint

2 inch piece fresh Ginger (skin peeled and chopped)

1 tbsp Salt

1 Lime juiced

1 tbsp Dry Mango powder (Amchoor) *optional

1 small Jalapeño (optional for spicy Chuntey)

1 cup Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup water

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees before you start cooking.

Let's make the Chuntey first. It's sooooper easy! Throw all ingredients in a food processor.

Puree for 2-3 minutes. When you achieve a creamy yet liquidy status, the Chutney is done!

Set aside. (I'm so sorry I don't have pictures of the Chutney, but it should look just like a taco crema or any sauce that you would serve over wraps or sandwiches)

Now on to the Eggplant and the spice rub!

Slice the Eggplant into 1/2 inch thick discs.

The sliced Eggplant

In a big, wide bowl, combine the Eggplant and spices the salt, as well as the oil.

Mix well with your hands, to coat the Eggplant evenly with the rub. Transfer the marinated Eggplant onto a baking tray lined with some aluminium foil, and brush in some oil.

The spices

The marinated Eggplant

And you're ready to throw this into your oven! Off it goes for 30 minutes. You don't even need to flip it. Just sit back and relax or open a beer!

In 30 minutes bring, out the tray and drizzle your Mint Yogurt Chutney generously! Garnish with some Cilantro and pat yourself on the back. Or high-five yourself on a gorgeous plate of food, that is healthy too. Pile it up high in a wrap, or between your favorite sliced bread or even on a toasted baguette, there's no wrong way to eat this! We just ate it as is on a bed of refreshing crunchy lettuce. The yogurt chutney seeped into the greens, acting as a dressing. Bonus! what what!

The final product! Looks amazing isn't it?

Well, there you have it! Dinner a la easy peasy and healthy! I hope you give it a try and please share with me a photo, would ya? I love seeing when people recreate these recipes, I feel like I've done my job and received some good Karma!

I love you guys. Stay awesome, and Nomaste!

This doesn't have to end here. Let this bright Yellow button be your savior.